![](\"https:\/\/img.agropages.com\/UserFiles\/FCKFile\/zkc_2018-11-02_07-39-19_640.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Mike Gore, Ph.D. ’09, plant geneticist in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, explains corn breeding at Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora, New York, in August. – Lindsay France\/Cornell Brand Communications Mike Gore, Ph.D. \u201909, hears the clock ticking. And while it\u2019s not an alarm clock, it\u2019s part of what gets him going every day.<\/p>\n Gore, associate professor of molecular breeding and genetics for nutritional quality, Liberty Hyde Bailey professor and international professor of plant breeding and genetics, conducts research at the intersection of several disciplines. His lab uses quantitative genetics, genomics, analytical chemistry and remote sensing to explore the genetic basis of trait variation in crops such as corn, oat and cassava.<\/p>\n <\/em><\/div>\n A TerraSentia robot, which is being trained to perform remote diagnostics on individual corn plants, moves between rows of corn at Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora, New York.<\/p>\n Plant breeding has been going on for 10,000 years, he said, but technology \u2013 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), robots, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning \u2013 is revolutionizing the practice.<\/p>\n \u201cOne role that we plant breeders can play is to learn how to integrate these cutting-edge technologies into research programs,\u201d he said, \u201cso that we can more efficiently and effectively select [plant variations] for the high-yielding, or highly nutritious, cultivar that can help feed the world\u2019s population.\u201d<\/p>\n Feeding the world\u2019s population: It\u2019s a huge challenge for plant breeders, he said, as well as researchers in other disciplines. Cornell is addressing it with the Cornell Initiative for Digital Agriculture (CIDA), which is leveraging digital innovations in agriculture to improve the sustainability, profitability, resiliency and efficiency of the world\u2019s food systems. Gore is in the CIDA leadership group.<\/p>\n Currently at around 7.6 billion people, Earth\u2019s population is expected to reach around 10 billion by 2050. How will we feed all those people in an efficient and sustainable way?<\/p>\n Gore admits that, although there\u2019s still time to come up with viable solutions, he\u2019s feeling the urgency.<\/p>\n \u201cI think all plant scientists do,\u201d Gore said. \u201cWe all share that passion, but we definitely hear that clock ticking. Let\u2019s hope it\u2019s not a timebomb.\u201d<\/p>\n Gore\u2019s lab uses \u201crapid phenotyping\u201d \u2013 the ability to non-destructively measure a plant\u2019s morphological, physiological, and biochemical properties in real time repeatedly over the course of a growing season, as opposed to waiting until harvest. That could help reduce the time it takes to develop crop varieties that are optimal for a particular region or climate.<\/p>\n \u201cWith these new technologies, we\u2019re able to do phenotyping every day, every week, every month, to know how the plant is responding to the environment over whole growing seasons,\u201d Gore said.<\/p>\n Among other crops, Gore\u2019s lab focuses on corn \u2013 including corn grown in upstate New York \u2013 and the development of variations that are best suited to the short growing season and weather conditions. His lab employs camera-wielding UAVs \u2013 drones \u2013 and four-wheeled robots to perform real-time diagnostics of scores of corn varieties at the Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora, New York, about 24 miles north of campus.<\/p>\n This past summer, his shared 3-acre cornfield contained approximately 800 highly diverse hybrids, each in two-row mini-plots, from which his team will try to identify the best varieties for growing in the upstate region.<\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.agropages.com\/UserFiles\/FCKFile\/zkc_2018-11-02_07-39-57_155.jpg\")
<\/div>\nLindsay France\/Cornell Brand Communications<\/p>\n